Stem cells, unlike differentiated cells have the capacity to divide and either self-renew or differentiate into phenotypically and functionally different daughter cells (Keller, Genes Dev. 2005; 19:1129-1155; Wobus and Boheler, Physiol Rev. 2005; 85:635-678; Wiles, Methods in Enzymology. 1993; 225:900-918; Choi et al, Methods Mol Med. 2005; 105:359-368).
The pluripotency of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and their ability to differentiate into cells from all three germ layers makes embryonic stem cells an ideal source of cells for regenerative therapy for many diseases and tissue injuries (Keller, Genes Dev. 2005; 19:1129-1155; Wobus and Boheler, Physiol Rev. 2005; 85:635-678). However, this very property of embryonic stem cells also poses a unique challenge, i.e. generating the appropriate cell types for the treatment of a specific diseased or injured tissue in sufficient quantity and homogeneity to ensure therapeutic efficacy, and inhibiting the generation of other cell types that may have a deleterious effect on the tissue repair and regeneration. At present, protocols that either enhance differentiation of embryonic stem cells towards specific lineages and/or enrich for specific tissue cell types are too inefficient and generally yield heterogeneous cell populations that might be tumorigenic (Keller, Genes Dev. 2005; 19:1129-1155; Wobus and Boheler, Physiol Rev. 2005; 85:635-678).
This invention seeks to solve this and other problems with methods in the art.